Learning objectives
Participation in the training activities provided (lectures and practical laboratory exercises) will allow students of the Course of Studies in Biological Sciences to acquire the general knowledge and fundamental notions for the culture of animal cells.
The course aims to describe the basic principles of cell cultures and their use in many fields of biomedical experimentation and diagnostics.
The course includes a theoretical part that illustrates:
1. Advantages and disadvantages of animal cell cultures compared to animal experiments
2. Obtaining and propagation of cell lines: primary and stabilized cell cultures; engineered cell lines.
3. Types of cell cultures: mono and bi- and three-dimensional co-cultures of cells in suspension and in adhesion.
4. Cellular models used in the field of biological and medical technologies
5. Architecture of a cell culture laboratory and safety standards:
i) Correct use of biological hoods, incubators, centrifuges, pipettes and pipettors, reagents and materials for cell culture.
ii) Contamination of cell cultures; The biological risk associated with the manipulation of human cells and the fundamental biohazard procedures to be used in the laboratory; maintenance, sterilization and waste disposal.
iii) Propagation of cell cultures and cell growth kinetics. Cell count. Cell adhesion and trypsinization. Freezing and thawing. Methods for evaluating cell proliferation, survival and toxicity. Vitality test.
Ulteriori informazioni su questo testo di originePer avere ulteriori informazioni sulla traduzione è necessario il testo di origine
Invia commenti
Riquadri laterali
Prerequisites
Knowledge of cell biology, biochemistry programs.
Knowledge of the main aspects of General Biology with particular regard to the structure of the cell and its components.
Course unit content
The course aims to provide knowledge and skills in the field of the most modern two- and three-dimensional cell culture techniques and their applications in the biomedical field. It will also allow participants to acquire practical skills in the sterility and manipulation of animal cells.
Full programme
The course aims to describe the basic principles of cell cultures and their use in many fields of experimentation in the field of biological and medical technologies and diagnostics.
The course includes a theoretical part that illustrates
1. Advantages and disadvantages of animal cell cultures compared to animal experiments
2. Obtaining and propagation of cell lines: primary and stabilized cell cultures; engineered cell lines
3. Cell culture models: two- and three-dimensional mono and co-cultures of cells in suspension and in adhesion;
4. Cell culture models, applications and purposes
5. Cell culture laboratory:
a) the biological risk associated with the manipulation of human cells and the basic biohazard procedures to be used in the laboratory
b) use of reagents and materials for cell cultures; composition of the main cell culture media and their preparation
c) use of biological hoods, incubators, centrifuges, pipettes and pipettors
d) preparation of culture media
e) preparation of a culture, cell count, subcultivation and cell stimulation
f) cell viability analysis using a Neubauer counting chamber
g) freezing and thawing of animal cells
h) Contamination of cell cultures.
Bibliography
- - -
Teaching methods
The course consists of lectures and a part of laboratory exercises.
The laboratory exercises are aimed at deepening and practical implementation of the correct basic techniques for manipulating cell cultures,
In particular, exercises will be developed in small groups (4 students max) for the determination of:
• Cell seeding
• Trypsinization
• Count cells with trypan blue
• Familiarization with the cocks for dilutions
• Cell viability following different treatments.
Assessment methods and criteria
The student must be able to:
• Understand the purposes of cell culture practice
• Know the principles that dictate the correct practice of cell cultures
• Acquire practical working skills in sterility, cell manipulation and measurement of certain parameters
• Acquire the ability to correctly observe a preparation under an inverted optical microscope [ability to focus at different magnifications (10X, 20X and 40X) cell cultures growing in monolayer or suspended].
The exam modality for the assessment of the achievement by the student of the objectives set by the course will take place with a written and/or oral verification.
The written or oral test will consist of three open-ended questions related to the topics covered in class + a problem that will have 2 questions:
1) the calculation for correct cell seeding (topic addressed during practical laboratory exercises)
2) the calculation for a correct dilution of a drug (topic addressed in class and during practical laboratory exercises).
It is awarded a maximum score of "8 points" for each correct open answer and a maximum score of "8 points" for the problem (4 points for each correct calculation).
Other information
- - -
